Bethany Beach Town Council moves ahead with $450,000 in pedestrian improvements along one of the town’s busiest roads.
The two projects will make pedestrian travel safer along State Road 26, which runs east-west through the town. One project, coming in at about $183,000, will add ADA-compliant sidewalk connections and update crosswalks at SR 26, Garfield Extension, and Kent Avenue.
The larger project, costing nearly $275,000, will add two pedestrian islands on SR 26 near Treetop Lane. That’s a particularly busy stretch of road, with several restaurants, a Wawa, and shops in the area.
Bethany Beach Town Manager Cliff Graviet says the changes will make the road safer for pedestrians.
“These islands are located closely enough that it will create a traffic calming effect in this particular area, give it more of the look of a more finished roadway in a more urban area than what we have there today," he told council members
While DelDOT will manage the project, Bethany Beach is footing the bill, even though SR 26 is a state-owned road. Graviet explains waiting for DelDOT to budget for and move ahead with the project would likely take years.
“I think some of these enhancements, DelDOT has so much to be responsible for, I don't even know if they would take something like this and tell you four years, five years, six years," he said. "That's our experience.”
Town Council unanimously approved the spending, and construction is expected to be complete before next year’s beach season.
